When from dreams
by Tsundrrr
Summary: When from dreams you wake frozen in fear, losing your grip on reality and your mind... Juugo wakes nearly every night to help his friend who is suffering from sever recurring nightmares, caused by a trauma-filled past that Juugo knows nothing about. T for darker themes. ANGST. Can be SasukexJuugo if you want to see it that way.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I literally wrote this first chapter in a day on a sudden burst of inspiration.  
There isn't really any context-other than the fact that Sasuke has a messed-up past and suffers from really bad nightmares, so you can read this as being in the Canon universe or whatever AU you happen to be into at the moment.**

**Please review!  
I may choose to continue this one**

* * *

The scream that woke him was a scream of torment...

Juugo woke with a start, listening intently as he focused his mind on the room next door. He was no psychic but he didn't need to be to be able to feel the fear that was in the next room.

It wasn't an unusual happenstance, Sasuke often woke in the middle of the night, plagued by nightmares and it wouldn't be the first time that the presence of a friend would be needed to calm him down.

Juugo stood and moved towards the door, leaving it ajar as he barged into the next room...he had long since stopped knocking and as he entered the room-as it was every other night- he was met with a terrified gaze as Sasuke shrunk into the row of pillows that surrounded him.

Some nights would continue into a violent struggle as Juugo fought to bring Sasuke's mind back to where it should be, while other nights would continue with Sasuke realizing he wasn't in imminent danger and collapsing into Juugo's embrace, sobbing.

And as he moved forward cautiously, Juugo found himself praying that the latter one would be the choice for the night.

Not that his willingness to help his friend had diminished, because it hadn't. If anything it had strengthened, but he didn't enjoy the way those onyx eyes would dart helplessly around the room, or the way Sasuke's face would fill with terror as he pinned him to the bed to keep him from injuring himself.

Sometimes he wondered what it was that haunted Sasuke, the desire to know aching in his heart until he supposed it would break, and then there were the times when he realized that he didn't _want_ to know. The mere idea of hearing about the torment Sasuke had faced in his past...it was too cruel and so he chose to leave the topic alone.

Maybe one day Sasuke would be ready and they could talk about it. Maybe one day HE would be ready to ask, but in the meantime-

Juugo moved forward slowly, his arms raised to show that he had no intention to injure, talking in a low, soothing voice  
"It's me Sasuke...it's Juugo" he waited, watching Sasuke carefully for any sign of recognition. There was nothing.

"You had a nightmare, but it's over now..." he went on, trying to soothe the fear that darted in and out of the dark eyes that were locked on him.  
Sasuke shook his head slowly, his eyes widening and his fist tightening on the twisted mess of blankets "-no" his voice, raw from his earlier cries came out in a cracked whisper and Juugo felt a dull ache begin to grow somewhere in his chest, pulsing through him as he fought the urge to take Sasuke into his arms.

"I-" he stopped, licking his dry lips "It's just me Sasuke..." there was a tone of pleading in his voice and he took an involuntary step forward, coming closer to the edge of Sasuke's bed before he even realized what he was doing.

Sasuke's body jerked back in a convulsion of alarm and Juugo forced himself to stop, bitting his cheek and holding perfectly still as Sasuke's eyes darted around the room, searching for a way of escape. _  
*No Sasuke, please don't look like that. I'm not going to hurt you, please don't look at me like I'm one of your nightmares*_  
the silent plea was like a chant in his head, a sort of prayer that was starting to become ritualistic.

"Everything's alright Sasuke, you're safe-" safe from what? he didn't even know what to say and yet there he was, going on in what seemed like circles in a non-progressing cycle.

There was dead silence in the room as he waited for Sasuke to say SOMETHING. But nothing came out and he held back a sigh. What was he to do? He'd never had this kind of stand-off before; on the verge of disaster while still so close to helping his friend...it was frustrating.

Sasuke was completely silent, sitting with his shoulders tense, his body quivering, and all of his senses on hyper-alert as he watched the somewhat familiar stranger in his room.

_What was going on?_

_Where was he?_

_Who was that? _every form of alarm was going off inside of his body, yet at the same time he felt a stirring deep within his chest, as if he somehow knew the person that was talking to him and that he was..._important _to him.

His body shuddered and he arched his back in pain, a gutteral cry ripping through his throat. His mind frustrated at the confusion, his thoughts completely and utterly lost.

"Sasuke-" the man spoke again and Sasuke's head jerked up. The stranger had moved closer

"Sasuke, it's me. It's Juugo" the tone was soft, non-threatening and yet it made his heart beat that much faster. What was wrong with him?

"You had a nightmare...but it's over now..." Juugo repeated the words carefully, kindly, doing his best to sound soothing and familiar.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed and Juugo felt his hopes rise at the change from the terror-stricken expression to one of confusion. Juugo...he could have sworn he saw Sasuke's lips form his name.

_*That's it, come back to me*_ he waited anxiously, sure that he was emitting tension but unable to turn it off.

Sasuke stared at the face in front of him, watching as the handsome features came into focus, striking him with their familiarity. He KNEW this man. Knew him well...maybe even..._loved_ him?

"J-go..." he half chocked on the word and Juugo nodded, not daring to move but wishing he could sit beside his friend. "Yeah, that's me..." he sounded so reassuring and Sasuke felt a pricking sensation around the back of his eyes...tears?

He was in a sort of numb shock as the first trail of liquid made its way down his face and fell to the covers below, leaving a small wet stain that grew as another drop followed the first, then another, then finally he was crying, his fists contorted in the sheets as his shoulders shook with tearing sobs.

"Juu-" his voice cut-off halfway through, leaving a voiceless whisper that echoed in Juugo's ears.

He moved forward, unable to hold himself back any longer and sat beside Sasuke, his arms quickly making their way around his slender shoulders and pulling him close, whispering quiet words of comfort as he began to stroke the back of Sasuke's head.

"It's okay...I've got you...It's okay..." over and over again, providing a steady rythm for Sasuke to match his ragged breaths to. "I've got you...It's okay..."

* * *

**. . .TBC?**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you so much to those who reviewed, I was really happy to see this story get such good reception.  
****So here's a 2nd chapter (I hope I lived up to the expectations of those who wanted more...you guys are so kind)  
****  
This may be a little more intense, but it should still be safe for a T rating.  
****As with the first chapter, the setting is vague, but I tried to keep it so that you could imagine it in the anime/manga universe if you wish to.  
Thank you for taking the time to read!**

* * *

Juugo hated thunder storms. They were loud and violent and even though he would never admit it aloud, he was scared of them.  
There was a certain feeling that came with storms, a morbid foreboding that sent chills curling up his spine in a really bad way, reminding him of all those frustrating nights that he would spend trying to help Sasuke, helpless in the fight against the nightmares that haunted him…nothing good ever happened during a thunder storm, that much he _knew,_ and as a the first crack of thunder shook the night sky he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed, deciding that he would use his restless energy to go check and see if Sasuke was alright.

The walk to Sasuke's room was short—they _were_ next door to each other—made even shorter by Juugo's hurried pace. He really did hate the suspense of the lightning and the loud explosions that would inevitably follow...  
A loud boom shook the sky and he jumped, pausing just long enough to compose himself before he took the knob of the bedroom door in his hand and twisted, carefully easing it back with much practiced skill, his heart pounding loudly in fear of what he would find. He winced as the door gave a small groan of resistance, creaking the rest of the way open_. One day he was going to convince Sasuke to leave the door open so he wouldn't have to face the suspense of opening it himself every time he felt compelled to go check on his friend._

"_No…" _The faint cry reached him as soon as he had stepped into the room and he tensed his muscles, training his ears forward as he stared through the darkness. Sasuke head was turning back and forth on his pillow, his movements strained and jerky as his fingers clenched and unclenched on the edge of the sheets…clearly caught in some really bad dream…  
Juugo swallowed, his jaw tightening as the familiar feeling of sick frustration pooled in his stomach.  
_Why did Sasuke have to go through so much? _

He moved forward slowly, his eyes never leaving the figure on the bed, hoping for the best while not having any expectations. _ .Please be alright…_the words were a silent prayer on his lips as he spoke them over and over, completely unaware that his mouth was even moving, it had become that much of a habit.

"Sasuke—" the loud crack of thunder masked his voice and he flinched as Sasuke flung his arm out, his hand hitting the fragile lamp on his nightstand and knocking it against the wall, the sharp chips of shattered porcelain scraping across his hand as they exploded outward.  
"Sasuke!" Juugo moved forward to grab Sasuke's arm and hold him still, a sudden memory of Sasuke's terrified eyes as he woke to a large figure standing over him flashing through his mind and stopping him in his tracks only inches away. He couldn't wake Sasuke up, not like_ that…_but what else was there for him to do? And Sasuke was _ bleeding.  
_Juugo forced himself to take a step back and breath, trying to calm himself. _You can do this. Just call him and he'll wake up. Everything will be just fine…  
_He licked his dry lips and opened his mouth. "Sasuke"  
Silence.  
"Sasuke—" he tried again as a streak of lightning lit the room and then waited; silently counting the seconds between the flash and the explosion he knew would soon follow.  
_One. Two. Three. Fou—  
_the crack of thunder shook the windows, rattling them in their frames so violently that Juugo feared they would break even though he knew it was impossible.  
Sasuke's body jerked in reaction to the noise his neck arching against his pillow as he pressed the rest of his body into the mattress, his movements frantic as he reacted to whatever it was he was seeing in his head.  
_He had to do something, or Sasuke was going to hurt himself more.  
_Juugo stepped forward and grabbed hold of Sasuke's flailing arms, holding them down with a firm yet gentle grip.  
"Sasuke _please_"  
He wasn't trying to hurt Sasuke, he just needed to hold him still and keep him from hurting himself further.  
"Sasuke!"  
Thunder cracked again and Sasuke's eyes snapped open, his shoulders curling in on himself as he pressed against the mattress, his eyes wide and locked on Juugo's face.  
_…No…_ Fear was hammering inside his head and he tried to turn away, his eyes frantically searching his surroundings for something he recognized, but there was nothing. Everything was blurred together, making no sense inside of his terrified head.

_He had to get away-_

Sasuke's eyes locked on Juugo's face once more, his dark eyes filled with panic as he grasped Juugo's wrists, trying to pull the larger male's hands from their place on his shoulder.

"no..." It was a gasp as he dug his fingers into Juugo's wrists, his nails tearing into the tanned flesh and drawing beads of blood.  
Juugo winced but refused to let go, his grip tightening as Sasuke continued to struggle violently, desperate to get out from under whatever he thought was holding him down.

"Sasuke, listen to me." It hurt so badly to be _outside _of Sasuke's thoughts, trying to reassure him, telling him that everything was okay when clearly it _wasn't.  
"Please _listen to me…" it felt like his heart was going to give out. _  
_"You're _not _in danger, it's _me._" Sasuke's expression was unwavering and Juugo closed his eyes for a brief moment, fighting back the pain that was throbbing in his wrists as well as the pressure in his chest.  
The emotional stress was trauma, every night he faced this, not ever knowing if Sasuke would wake up or not…  
_Don't do this to me…to yourself. Wake up. Please.  
_He didn't want to hurt him, didn't want to use his strength and size to keep the boy beneath him, but…_did he have a choice?  
_"Sasuke _please"_  
Silence.  
"Sasuke I'm begging you…"  
Sasuke was still fighting him, his mind trapped in his dream, his heart beating fast, his breaths coming in short, haggard gasps, his face deathly white...completely oblivious to the pleas of the man he cared about.  
"Sasuke…"  
Sasuke's face looked ready to shatter, his dark eyes filled with agony, his grip tightening on Juugo's already injured wrists  
"Sasuke"  
_He had to stop this nightmare before it did any lasting damage to **either **of them.  
_Juugo wrenched his arms out of Sasuke's grip and grabbed the younger teen's wrists, straddling his companion's slender legs as he forced his hands back beside his head, his blood soaked fingers stiff as iron as he held Sasuke still through sheer strength of size. _He didn't like this…_  
"I need you to wake up Sasuke. This is hurting you and it's _not _real." He spoke in even tones despite the whirlwind of emotions that were swirling inside of him, his voice only slightly wavering as he went on.

"This world right here with me? _This_ is reality…"

Sasuke's breathing was coming in short gasps, his head tilted back and his cracked lips parted slightly as he struggled to breath.  
He could almost hear someone calling his name, almost recognize the face of the one leaning over him, but...but he couldn't bring it into focus, couldn't break through the barrier that was pressing against him, drowning him...  
Suffocating him...  
_help...  
_His hands closed on the wrinkled sheets, his fingers twisting in them and gripping them until his knuckles were white and his hands were quivering with the effort. He couldn't breathe, couldn't see, couldn't hear. Everything around him was a blur as tears pooled in his frantic eyes and ran down the sides of his face.  
_Please…_

"I can't go in there to pull you out…" Juugo went on in desperation, not sure what else he could do other than talk  
"But I'm right _here_"

_"-Juugo"_ Sasuke's lips formed his name in a silent whisper as his hand reached out, searching for the hand of the man he knew wasn't inside his nightmare. The man he needed, the man he _loved..._

"Sasuke..._I_..." Juugo took the hand that had been thrust out, holding it to his chest as his voice became too choked for words, leaning down and pressing his forehead against the paler, smoother one of his troubled companion.

"I'll always be waiting for you because—" his voice caught in his throat and he died off, unable to say the last bit of what he'd wanted to say.  
_—because I love you_

_Juugo..._

The hand reached down from nowhere, grabbing onto his outstretched hand and pulling him up out of the darkness and towards the surface, filling his lungs with air as his vision slowly began to clear.

_Juu...  
He could feel warmth spreading inside his chest, the light driving way the darkness as he began to realize the face leaning over him belonged to the one he needed…_

Relief softened the rest of Juugo's features as he watched Sasuke return to consciousness and he squeezed his hand tightly  
"hey" _because he couldn't say anything else  
_A weak smile lifted the corner of Sasuke's lips and his fingers returned the squeeze  
"_hi_" it was barely a whisper, but it was enough for Juugo  
"You okay?"

Sasuke nodded, his eyes never leaving Juugo's face as he allowed himself to be lifted into a sitting position—as if his dreams would come rushing back if he looked away even for the smallest fraction of a second

His eyes fell on Juugo's hands as the older teen moved to brush the side of his face, pain coming into his expression as he saw the streaks of blood that were beginning to dry on Juugo's wrists.  
"Juugo—" he reached out to touch the wounds, his fingers meeting Juugo's as Juugo took his hand instead, giving a soft shake of his head "Don't…" his voice was a warm whisper.  
"you're back now…and that's all I need"


	3. Chapter 2:5

**AN:  
I was sorting through my documents to take inventory of my stories and while I was looking through the document for the first 2 chapters of "when from dreams" I discovered that I had 8 extra pages of material (mostly more fleshed-out scenes for Chapters 1 &amp; 2 that didn't make it into the final cut for some reason that I can't remember).  
I've been meaning to write a chapter 3 for a while, but before I do that I want to publish **Chapter 2.5 **using the material I previously discarded.  
Some of this chapter may look familiar (because after all, this was going to be **chapter 2** at first) so just think of this **[Chapter 2.5]** as**** an extended/more detailed edition of **Chapter 2.  
**This edition is also a little more...shippy, but not terribly so.  
I hope you enjoy this 'extra'. **

**Be sure to leave a review! the fate of **chapter 3** (to be or not to be) relies on your feedback**

* * *

The clap of thunder that echoed across the black sky shook the entire house, causing the window panes to rattle in place, vibrating against the solid metal frames that surrounded them.  
Sasuke flinched, his eyes snapping open as he was forced awake by the hideous noise. He lay still for several moments, staring up at the ceiling and taking in slow breaths as he waited for everything to come into focus.  
_What time is it?_ He glanced to the side but saw nothing, the blank face of his clock blending in with the rest of the shadows…the power must have gone out.  
With a sigh he reached up, running the palm of his hand into his eyes as he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed, jerking back as his foot hit something smooth and cold instead of the soft carpet of he'd been expecting. Still not completely awake, he leaned to the side, reaching for his nightstand so he could find some source of light. His hand closed on air.  
_Hold on…_the thought registered slowly, much slower than it should have. _This wasn't his room_.  
A familiar feeling of fear was beginning to make its way into his body, creeping up the base of his spine and settling somewhere in the pit of his stomach as he squinted his eyes, trying to see through the darkness.  
_Where was he?_

.

Juugo woke as the thunder echoed around him, his eyes coming open and focusing on the ceiling as he just listened. All was quiet but he sat up anyway, not sure if the strange feeling in the air was because of the storm or if something strange really _was _going on.  
He stood without the slightest hesitation and moved towards his door, deciding that he should check on Sasuke before considering any other possibilities.  
The walk to his friend's room was short—they were next door to each other—and as he reached the closed door he lifted a hand to knock, stopping with his knuckles inches from the wood as he decided to just take a quick peek. There was no reason to have to wake Sasuke up, especially if this was one of the rare nights where he would actually be able to sleep.  
He opened the door slowly, easing it back on its hinges with practiced skill before taking a cautious step into the dark room, wary of what he might find.

All seemed to be at peace and he listened for a moment, his entire attention trained on the lump of blankets that he knew to be his friend, watching intently for any signs of movement.  
There was nothing but he didn't leave, his mistrust in appearances stemming from all those times where he had prematurely left, foolishly deciding that everything was alright, only to be summoned back by a violent and blood-chilling scream minutes-if not _seconds_-later.

_*CRACK* _the clap of thunder was loud, tearing at the sky and leaving its echo ringing in Juugo's ears. _If that hadn't woken Sasuke up—  
_His thought died away and he took a step forward, the hair standing up on the back of his neck as he felt chills creep up his spine.  
He'd felt this feeling before, this dread and foreboding, chilling the pit of his stomach and leaving his limbs feeling oddly stiff and cold. Almost like a warning that something bad was about to happen, and this time…_this time _there was _definitely_ something wrong.

"Sasuke?" he whispered then paused, waiting for a response. There was none and so he tried again, this time a little louder "Sasuke?"

The figure on the bed sat up and for an instant Juugo thought the trouble for the night was over, his hopes quickly falling as he noticed the slow, creepy way that Sasuke's head had turned to look at him with…*_no, not that, anything but that…* _terror in the dark pupils.

It was times like this where Juugo would wish that he could just step into Sasuke's mind and dispel _whatever_ it was that Sasuke was seeing, break the illusion and stop Sasuke from looking at him with that kind of expression because it _hurt. _A completely tangible hurt that he left a foul taste in the back of his throat.

"Sasuke it's me"

Sasuke's body jerked away, his shoulders curling in on himself as he pressed himself against the headboard of his bed. He was watching, his wide eyes focused on Juugo's every move, the look of fear-driven insanity in his eyes warning Juugo that this night was not going to go down without a struggle.

.

_It was damp outside, wet, rainy, cold, but he kept on running, bare feet sliding in the mud as he tore across the endless field, the swollen river running beside him as on edge dropped off into oblivion.  
There was blood on the ground behind him, pooled around the endless span of bodies that lay in the streets, running through the cracks to the gutter and staining the stone surface crimson.  
Hands reached out to grab his shoulders and he fell backward, a gash forming on his hand as he scrambled back to his feet, dangerously close to the edge of the river. He teetered there for what seemed like forever, throwing his arms out to catch himself but failing as he was forced backwards once again, his foot sliding off of the bank and plunging him into the icy current below, strong hands on his shoulders._

He gagged, water filling his lungs, the icy water causing pin pricks of light to dance across his vision.  
He struggled upward, fighting the hands that held him down, managing to break away just long enough for his face to come to the surface and for him to draw in a desperate breathe before he was once again forced under

_*JUUGO!*_

.

Sasuke let out a desperate cry as he suddenly began to flail, his hand knocking into the fragile lamp on his nightstand and smashing it against the wall, the jagged porcelain cutting into his pale skin as it exploded outward.

"Sasuke, wake up!"

Juugo sprang forward quickly, grabbing Sasuke's shoulders and forcing him down without hesitation, pinning him there in an attempt to stop him from bringing further harm to himself.  
The fear was bad enough, Juugo reasoned as he clenched his teeth and held Sasuke down, he didn't need the physical injuries too.

"Sasuke wake up!"

Sasuke's dark eyes were wide and his features contorted as he tried to breath.  
_It's because I'm holding him down…_The thought drove a wedge of guilt into Juugo's chest and he swallowed hard, trying to push the guilt away so he could focus on the task in front of him.  
"_Sasuke_…" His tone was anguished as he called Sasuke's name gently, his hopes rising even though he knew it wasn't going to be that simple.  
Sasuke didn't react to Juugo's voice, reaching up instead to try to pry Juugo's hands off of his shoulders, his grip slick and useless as blood from his injured hand smearing across the tanned skin.  
"Sasuke—!"  
Juugo tightened his grip, clenching his teeth and wincing as Sasuke's fingers tore into the flesh of his arms, digging into his skin and drawing small streams of blood that ran down his hands and soaked into Sasuke's already damp shirt.

"Sasuke!"

.

_Someone, please. Juugo…  
Sasuke was struggling for his life, choking, drowning, pinned by the shadowy figure of a man leaning over him.  
He could almost hear someone calling him, but the voice was drowned out by the roaring in his ears.  
He clawed at the hands that were holding his shoulders, drawing a guttural cry from the man as blood began to drip from where Sasuke's fingers had ripped away the flesh. A brilliant red that stained the water.  
He had to get away from here, had to run…  
His body twisted and turned, shoving up against the man's iron grip as he fought desperately to get away.  
Had to break free, had to get back to Juugo, had to…  
With the last of his strength he shoved his body upward, desperately throwing all of his weight behind that single motion with such a force as to throw his assailant off balance, the sudden and unexpected movement weakening the mans' grip just long enough for Sasuke to twist away and grab ahold of the man's shoulder, using it pull himself up onto the muddy bank, the man pinned beneath him.._

.

Juugo fell back onto the bed with a thud as Sasuke grabbed his arm and flipped him over, holding him down with an iron grip as his dark eyes seemed to stare past him, locked on something that only he could see, the pain in his gaze tearing into every bit of Juugo's heart.  
He was blinded to reality, trapped in a hellish nightmare and Juugo swallowed, trying to breath as he ignored the stinging pain in his arms.

"Sasuke, listen to me." It hurt so badly to be _outside _of Sasuke's thoughts, trying to reassure him, telling him that everything was okay when clearly it _wasn't.  
"Please _listen to me…" he felt like his voice was going to give out.  
"You're _not _in danger, it's _me; _Juugo" Sasuke's expression was unwavering and Juugo closed his eyes for a brief moment, fighting back the overwhelming urge to break down completely.  
_Don't do this to me…to yourself. Wake up.** Please**.  
_He didn't want to hurt him, didn't want to use his strength and size to trap the boy beneath him, but…_did he have a choice?_

"Sasuke _please"  
_  
_Silence._

"Sasuke I'm begging you…"

Sasuke still didn't move. His face still contorted with fear as his entire body trembled. His mind was trapped in his dream, his heart beating fast, his breaths coming in short, haggard gasps, his face deathly white...still completely unaware of the pleas from the man he cared about.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke's face looked ready to shatter, his dark eyes filled with agony, his grip tightening on Juugo's already injured wrists

"Sasuke"

_He had to do something. Had to get out of the horrific deadlock before it did any lasting damage to __**both **__of them._

Juugo wrenched his arms out of Sasuke's grip and violently flipped him over, pinning him down for the second time that night, his blood soaked fingers gripping Sasuke's hands tightly, holding him still through sheer force of size.

"I need you to wake up Sasuke. This is hurting you and it's _not _real." He spoke in even tones despite the whirlwind of emotions that were swirling inside of him, his tone only slightly wavering as he went on.  
"This world right here? With me? _This_ is_ real_ and…you need to realize that" _I need you to realize that_

Sasuke was still, his dark eyes still clouded and his labored breaths rattling in his throat.  
"I can't go in there to pull you out…" Juugo went on in desperation, realizing that if this was it…the point where Sasuke went insane because of the past that haunted him…there was still so much he wanted to say

"But I'm _waiting _right here for you…"

He reached down with his right hand, gripping Sasuke's trembling fingers between his and tenderly caressing the pale ridge of knuckles with his thumb  
"I'll always be waiting for you because—" his voice caught in his throat and he died off, unable to say the last bit of what he'd wanted to say.  
_—because I love you_

_._

_Sasuke stirred, feeling the warmth of something on his hand, but unable to see what it was.  
Everything was dark, so dark and empty and cold…_

_Juugo…_

_He mouthed the name as tears slid down the side of his face, soaking into the ground beneath his sprawled body._

_Juugo I need you…_

_it was a desperate cry, aching in his chest as he forced himself to sit up, searching the abyss around him for some glimmer of hope, some form of light at the end of the dark tunnel.  
*Sasuke, come back…* It was a half-dead cry from somewhere deep inside of his heart and he turned_

…Juugo?

_Then he saw it, the light on the horizon, a warm, bright glow that was steadily coming towards him as a voice echoed somewhere off in the distance  
*Sasuke...*_

Juu...

Sasuke's vision slowly began to clear as he came out of his sleep, warm relief flooding through him as he realized that it was Juugo who leaning over him, his orange-brown eyes moist as he watched Sasuke return to consciousness.

Juugo's features softened as their eyes met and he squeezed Sasuke's hand, his grip gentle but firm. _as if promising to never let go_

"Hey"

Sasuke returned the squeeze, a weak smile lifting the corner of his lips as the ache in his chest dissolved

"Hi" it was barely a whisper, but it was enough.

"Are you alright?"

Sasuke nodded, allowing Juugo to ease him into a sitting position, his breaths still short, but gradually calming

Silence fell between them and Sasuke glanced away, his eyes falling the on the hand that was clutching his, pain running through his gaze as he noticed the streaks of drying blood on Juugo's wrist.

"Did I-" he stopped and reached out, brushing the crusting wounds with the tips of his fingers. Of course he had done that. There was no other way it could have happened.

Juugo shook his head, taking Sasuke's fingers between his as he placed his other hand on the side of Sasuke's face "don't worry about it, its fine"

Sasuke shook his head, pulling his hand out of Juugo's grip and taking his friend's hand off of his face so he could examine the wounds.

_Was this the price Juugo was paying for his nightmares?_

"It's not your fault" Juugo knew Sasuke well enough to know what was running through his mind behind the blank mask that had unconsciously slipped across his face and somehow it hurt, hurt to know that Sasuke was more concerned for his well being than his own. "You were caught in that nightmare"

Sasuke shook his head, refusing to accept Juugo's words "I _hurt_ you"

He sounded so broken and Juugo swallowed, something tightening in his chest as he slowly shook his head. "It wasn't your fault Sasuke." He repeated quietly. _Please believe me _"it wasn't you"

Sasuke's dark eyes were miserable as he looked into Juugo's face, his dark eyes searching for an answer  
_"why?"_ Juugo saw more than heard the question...the silent word that had formed on Sasuke's lips  
"_why are you doing so much for me?_" his voice cracked halfway through the sentence as his gaze settles on Juugo's hands, tears stinging the back of his eyes.

Juugo gave a helpless smile—as if somehow Sasuke's question had caused him pain—and leaned forward until their foreheads were almost touching.

"Don't you know?" his words were equally quiet as his voice wavered, the lump in his chest constricting, making it hard to breath as he closed the distance between them and gently pressed his forehead against Sasuke's pale one

"It's because I love you…"

* * *

**TBC?**

**Don't forget to review...I really hope you enjoyed this 'extra'.**


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